is once again celebrating International Literacy Day 2000
– the first of the new decade. The event will take place at UNESCO
Headquarters on the 8th September.

Dancers from Thailand, story tellers from Burkina Faso, an
international group of RAP dancers and musicians, artists from Colombia
will be with us, performing and demonstrating their commitment to the
cause of literacy, to the plight of roughly a billion adults in the world
today who still cannot read and write. They will be giving of their time
and talent to help UNESCO pass the message that literacy and basic
education are the minimum that we must offer to our brothers and sisters
to lift them from their isolation and move them along with us into the new
decade.

This year’s celebration, therefore, will be a mix of dances and songs
from all over the world together with the more sobre but important
announcement of the winners of the International Literacy Prizes for this
year. A slight departure from the more traditional presentation ceremonies
of the past.

Celebration
and prize giving of the International Literacy Prizes 2000
Friday, 8 September
2000Room I, at 5 p.m. precisely

The Division of
Basic Education has pleasure in inviting you to the celebration and prize
giving of the International Literacy Prizes 2000Programme:

Wahshington, USA-Thirteen major education and literacy organizations will join together to celebrate International Literacy
Day, September 8, 2000. The purpose of the annual event, held this year at the Madison Building of the Library of
Congress, 101 Independence Ave., SE, Washington, DC, is to focus attention on worldwide literacy issues and needs through
partnering, and to recognize the vital importance of literacy to society.

According to Librarian of Congress James H.
Billington, who will present brief remarks at the opening ceremony, "Improving literacy skills throughout the world is a huge but important challenge, and one in which libraries play a vital
role. The ability to read is imperative to our survival as a civilization. The ability to have access to information in all
forms, in every language and at all times, is a worthy goal for our time."

The opening ceremony will be held in the Madison Hall of the Library of Congress from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and will feature literacy and education professionals in addition to learners who have recently acquired literacy
skills. Partner exhibits will be open all day.

The program, open to the public, will include activities held in the Madison Plaza of the Library of Congress beginning at 9:30
a.m., conducted by Literacy Volunteers of America and Yellow Pages Advertising
Council, and Franklin the Turtle (a young children’s book series).Activities will feature
storytelling, information booths, and celebrity appearances.

The program will conclude with the announcement of the International Literacy Day
awards, given each year for contributions to the cause of worldwide literacy.

An academic panel discussion,
"Literacy in the Information Age," will be held from 1:30 p.m to 3:00 pm. in the Mumford Room on the sixth floor of the Madison Building. It will focus on the final report of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) International Adult Literacy Survey.

"According to one OECD Study," says Scott Walter, Director of International Development for the International Reading Association,
"The higher a nation’s literacy skills, the more likely its population will work in better quality jobs, earn more and have healthier habits and
lifestyles. There is a measurable net return to literacy skills."

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that 880 million of the world’s adults do not know how to read or write
(two-thirds of this number are females). In addition, more than 113 million children lack access to
education. UNESCO further reports that progress is being made gradually, but the advent of new technologies means that the gap between rich and poor countries is growing
wider.